Method and Apparatus for Planing Boat Ballast System

ABSTRACT

A Method and Apparatus for Planing Boat Ballast System have been disclosed. By using ballast forward of a transverse step forward of the stem and by using a ballast opening in or at a riser of the transverse step, enhanced stability is possible with protection from flooding and with efficiency of ballast admission and release, simplicity of practice, and ease and safety of inspection and cleaning

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to waterborne vessels. More particularly,the present invention relates to a Method and Apparatus for Planing BoatBallast System.

2. Description of Related Art

It is well-known that the stability of a vessel can be improved by usingballast. Using water ballast to improve stability is not uncommon invessels limited to displacement (hull) speed. However, in planingboats—vessels which generate sufficient dynamic lift to enable travel atfaster than displacement speed—the use of water ballast to improvestability is rare, even though ballast systems to improve the stabilityof planing boats can be found in prior art. Examples of such ballastsystems are disclosed in the following references:

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 2,683,269 (Harkins, Jul. 13, 1954);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,085,535 (Hunt, Apr. 16, 1963);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,503,358 (Moesly, Mar. 31, 1970);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,927 (Iizuka et al., Jul. 16, 1985);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,407 (Cummer et al., Jul. 20, 1993);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,645,003 (Grinde, Jul. 8, 1997);

In the prior art, the ballast system floods a double-bottom section,water ballast tunnel, or other such compartment. One or more ballastopenings located at the stern admit and release ballast which travels toand from ballasted regions.

There are certain characteristics of the general state of the art inplaning boat ballast systems. First, by releasing and admitting ballastat the stern, the region immediately forward of the stern may be thelast to become unballasted and the first to receive ballast. Since thestern of a planing boat typically is heavier than the bow, this may leadto an increase in bow-rise and stern-squat when accelerating onto planeor decelerating from plane. This presents a problem.

Second, flooding (taking on ballast) may result when a wave in afollowing sea encounters a stern ballast opening. This presents aproblem.

Third, efficiency of admitting and releasing ballast may be affectedwhen ballast is stored forward of the stern yet is admitted and releasedat the stern. The further forward ballast is stored, the farther it musttravel. This presents a problem.

Fourth, simplicity of practice may be affected by the need to managelongitudinal movement of ballast. This presents a problem.

Fifth, the extension of a ballast system forward from the stern mayaffect the ease and safety of inspection and cleaning, whether forroutine maintenance, repair, or compliance with regulations aboutpreventing the transfer of biological species from one body of water toanother, such as when hauling out a boat from one location andtrailering it to another location. This presents a problem.

Sixth, ballasting in a stepped hull boat may be affected. A boat withone or more hulls may have at least one lateral discontinuity in thesurface plane of the underside of a hull forward of the stern, formingwhat is commonly known in the art as a transverse step. A boat with sucha step is commonly known in the art as a stepped hull boat. Thetransverse step extends at least partly across the underside of the hulland has a riser. Some stepped hull boats have an opening on or at theriser. Examples of such in prior art are disclosed in the followingreferences:

-   -   U.S. Pat. No. 1,831,339 (Brush, Nov. 10, 1931);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 2,172,674 (Frost, Sep. 12, 1939);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 2,396,721 (Patterson et al., Mar. 19, 1946);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,225,729 (Ewing, Jr., Dec. 28, 1965);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,316,874 (Canazzi, May 2, 1967);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,382,833 (Wukowitz, May 14, 1968);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,549 (Rae, Sep. 30, 1969);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,064 (Glass, Dec. 15, 1970);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,314 (Peters, Nov. 4, 1980);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,534 (Field, Feb. 5, 1991);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,853 (Adler, Mar. 9, 1993);    -   U.S. Pat. No. 6,250,246 (Hubley, Jun. 26, 2001);

There are certain characteristics of the general state of the art instepped hull boats. A transverse step is understood as a device toreduce hydrodynamic drag. A riser is implicitly understood as a deviceto maintain a continuous surface on a hull when a transverse step isintroduced. An opening on or at the riser is understood as a device to“ventilate” (provide air to) a region aft of the transverse step. In astepped hull boat, the bottom of a hull directly forward of a riser islower than that directly aft of the riser, and thus a transverse stepmay affect the ability to admit, store, and release ballast. Thispresents a problem.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a ballastsystem to improve stability at stop, at displacement speed, and whenaccelerating onto plane or decelerating from plane.

Another object is to provide a ballast system with improved protectionfrom flooding.

Another object is to provide a ballast system with a more efficient wayto admit and release ballast.

Another object is to provide a ballast system with improved simplicity.

Another object is to provide a ballast system with improved ease andsafety of inspection and cleaning.

Another object is to provide a ballast system with improvedfunctionality of a transverse step.

The present invention provides a solution in which ballast is storedforward of a transverse step forward of a stern and is admitted andreleased through an opening on or at a riser of the transverse step. Thetransverse step is understood as a device to 1) define a region forwardof the stern where a ballast container may be located to receive, store,and discharge ballast in order to improve stability and 2) provide alocation to admit and release ballast. The riser is understood as adevice to locate and mount a ballast opening. The opening on or at theriser is understood as a device to admit and release ballast.

The present invention has multiple advantageous effects, which includebut may not be limited to the following.

First, the invention improves stability at stop, at displacement speed,and when accelerating onto plane and decelerating from plane. It iswell-known that ballast can improve stability at stop and atdisplacement speed, and the invention enables the use of ballast.Further, it is well-known that offsetting the sternward weightdistribution typical of a planing boat inhibits bow-rise and stern-squatwhen accelerating onto plane and decelerating from plane, and theinvention accomplishes this by enabling the use of ballast forward ofthe stern.

Second, the invention improves protection from flooding by providing aballast opening forward of the stern. In a following sea, when a waveencounters the stern, the stern will block the wave and divert it fromthe ballast opening.

Third, the invention provides a more efficient way to admit and releaseballast. Ballast for stability in a planing boat typically is notdesired at the stern, but forward of the stern. By providing atransverse step with a riser, the present invention makes it possible toplace the ballast opening adjacent or close to where ballast typicallyis desired.

Fourth, the invention improves simplicity of practice. Ballast capacitymay be located where desired forward of the stern region by suitablyplacing a transverse step with a riser, a ballast container, and aballast opening, without necessarily changing the distance between theballast container and the ballast opening. By placing the ballastopening on or at the riser, and placing the ballast container forward ofthe transverse step, the length of the ballast system may be relativelyshort.

Fifth, the invention improves the ease and safety of inspection andcleaning. The ballast opening is relatively close to the ballastcontainer and is forward of propulsion units, extended platforms, andother stern hazards.

Sixth, the invention improves the functionality of a transverse step byusing the transverse step and its riser as elements in a ballast system.

The effects of the present invention provide benefits to the safety andhandling of a boat. These benefits may include but may not be limited toa more stable deck and improved forward visibility for the boat'soccupants during acceleration onto plane and deceleration from plane,reduced steering effects created by crosswinds or wind gusts, increaseddirectional stability, reduced rolling and pitching from the effect ofwave action, increased stability when loading or unloading the boat,reduced susceptibility to undesired flooding, easier and saferinspection and cleaning, and more efficient and simpler admission andrelease of ballast.

The present invention also provides benefits to boat designers and boatbuilders. These benefits may include but may not be limited to theability to modify such boat characteristics as rolling, pitching, andtrim, whether at rest or when moving; the ability to provide ballast indiverse planing boats having one or more hulls; the ability to provide amore efficient and simpler ballast system, the ability to provide aballast system suited to compliance with inspection and cleaningregulations, and the ability to provide ballast in a stepped-hull boatforward of a transverse step.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures of the accompanying drawings illustrate the presentinvention by way of example and not limitation:

FIG. 1 illustrates a side view of a water ballast system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view with a waterline and a flooded ballastcontainer.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view with a waterline and a partially floodedballast container.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view with a waterline and an unflooded ballastcontainer.

FIG. 5 illustrates a top view.

FIG. 6 illustrates a rear view at a transverse step.

FIG. 7 illustrates a rear view at a stern.

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow chart.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A boat has a hull with a bow and a stern. In one embodiment of theinvention, the boat has one hull. In other embodiments, the boat mayhave more than one hull, such as in a catamaran or trimaran boat. In oneembodiment the port and starboard sides of the hull may be symmetric. Inother embodiments the port and starboard sides of the hull may beassymetric, such as found in some catamaran and trimaran boats. The boatis capable of operating on plane.

A transverse step is located forward of the stern and has a riser. Theriser is submerged at least partly below a waterline when the boat is atrest or moving at displacement speed. In one embodiment of theinvention, there is one transverse step. In other embodiments, there maybe more than one transverse step. In one embodiment of the invention thetransverse step extends fully across the bottom of the hull. In otherembodiments the transverse step may extend partly across the bottom ofthe hull. In one embodiment of the invention, the riser constitutes aflat plane. In other embodiments, the riser may not constitute a flatplane.

A ballast container stores ballast forward of the transverse step. Theballast container is flooded at least partially when the boat is at restor moving at displacement speed and is unflooded at least partly whenthe boat is on plane. In one embodiment the upper region of the ballastcontainer is not higher than the riser. In other embodiments the upperregion of the ballast container may be higher than the riser. In oneembodiment, the ballast container consists of a compartment inside thehull of the boat. In other embodiments, the ballast container mayconsist of a number and combination of compartments, tanks, bladders,and/or other such containment devices of diverse dimensions andcapacities. In one embodiment of the invention, the capacity of theballast container is fixed. In other embodiments, the capacity of theballast container is variable.

A ballast opening admits ballast to and releases ballast from theballast container and is located on or at the riser of the transversestep. The ballast opening is submerged at least partly below a waterlinewhen the boat is at rest or moving at displacement speed and is raisedat least partly above said waterline when the boat is on plane. In oneembodiment of the invention, there is one ballast opening. In otherembodiments, there may be more than one opening. In one embodiment ofthe invention, the ballast opening connects directly to the ballastcontainer. In other embodiments, the ballast opening may incorporatetubing, ducting, channels, or other such passageway devices. In oneembodiment of the invention, the ballast opening is located on theriser. In other embodiments, the ballast opening may be located at theriser, such as to the side of, aft of, above, or underneath the riser.In one embodiment of the invention, the capacity of the ballast openingis fixed. In other embodiments, the capacity may be variable.

A ballast vent admits air to and releases air from the ballast containerand is above a waterline. In one embodiment of the invention, there isone ballast vent. In other embodiments, there may be more than oneballast vent. In one embodiment of the invention, the ballast ventincorporates a tube or other passageway device to vent the ballastcontainer to atmosphere. In other embodiments, the ballast vent may ventthe ballast container directly to atmosphere. In one embodiment of theinvention, the ballast vent has a fixed capacity. In other embodiments,the capacity may be variable.

In one embodiment of the invention, the ballast system admits, stores,and releases ballast without the use of control devices such as pumps,valves, gates, flappers, etc. In other embodiments, such devices may beincorporated in the operation of the ballast system.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in one embodiment a boat 1 has a hull 2 with abow 3 and a stern 4. Forward of the stern 4 is a transverse step 5 witha riser 6. At 7 is a ballast container connected to a ballast opening 8on the riser 6 of the transverse step 5. At 9 is a ballast vent.

FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4 illustrate the mechanism of the invention'soperation. As illustrated in FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, when the boat 1is in water, at 10 there is a waterline.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view in which the ballast container 7 isflooded. The ballast opening 8 and the riser 6 of the transverse step 5are submerged at least partly below the waterline 10. The ballastcontainer 7 contains water, the ballast vent 9 is above the waterline,and the boat 1 is ballasted. Ballast effects and benefits as notedearlier are provided when at a stop or moving at displacement speed.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view in which the ballast container 7 ispartially flooded. The boat 1 is moving forward in the process ofaccelerating onto plane or decelerating from plane. When acceleratingonto plane, the forward motion of the boat 1 generates dynamic lift andthus raises the ballast opening 8 relative to the waterline 10. Waterballast is released from the ballast container 7 through the ballastopening 8 and air is admitted to the ballast container 7 through theballast vent 9. When decelerating from plane, dynamic lift decreases andthus lowers the ballast opening 8 relative to the waterline 10. Waterballast is admitted to the ballast container 7 through the ballastopening 8 and air is released from the ballast container 7 through theballast vent 9. Ballast effects and benefits as noted earlier areprovided when accelerating onto plane or decelerating from plane.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view in which the ballast container 7 isunflooded. The boat 1 is on plane. The ballast container 7, the riser 6,and the ballast opening 8 are above the waterline 10, and the boat 1 isunballasted, thus permitting operation as an unballasted planing boat.

FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 illustrate further how the invention enablesballasting and protects from flooding by waves in following seas.

FIG. 5 illustrates that the ballast container 7 is inside the hull 2 ofthe boat 1 and is forward of the transverse step 5 and forward of thestern 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates that the ballast opening 8 is on or at the riser 6 ofthe transverse step 5. The ballast container 7 is forward of thetransverse step 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates that the transverse step 5 and the riser 6 and theballast opening 8 are forward of the stern 4.

FIG. 8 illustrates one embodiment of the invention showing a flow chart.At 802 mount a transverse step having a riser on a hull of a boat. At804 mount a ballast container forward of said transverse step. At 806mount a ballast opening on or at said riser. At 808 connect said ballastopening to said ballast container. At 810 mount a ballast vent in saidboat. At 812 connect said ballast vent to said ballast container. At 814when boat is at stop or moving at displacement speed store water ballastin said ballast container. At 816 when boat is accelerating onto plane,release said water ballast from said ballast container from said ballastopening and admit air to said ballast container from said ballast vent.At 818 when boat is decelerating from plane, admit water ballast to saidcontainer from said ballast opening and release air from said ballastcontainer from said ballast vent.

To one of ordinary skill in the art, it will be evident that, in thepractice of the invention, it is feasible to adjust such variables asthe dimensions, proportions, location, quantity, materials, andstructure of the elements of the ballast system to enable satisfactoryballasting. As an example, in one embodiment the location of atransverse step may be configured in accordance with a boat's weightdistribution. As another example, in one embodiment the capacity of aballast container may be configured in accordance with a boat'sbuoyancy. As another example, in one embodiment a ballast opening may beconfigured to enhance stability during acceleration and deceleration. Asanother example, in one embodiment a ballast vent may be configured toaccommodate a desired interior layout for a boat. As another example, inone embodiment the ballast system may be configured to release allballast or to retain some portion of ballast as desired. As anotherexample, in one embodiment the ballast system may be configured torelease some portion of ballast rapidly and some portion slowly. Asanother example, in one embodiment the ballast system may be configuredto admit some portion of ballast rapidly and some portion slowly.

The above and previous examples disclose possible embodiments in thepractice of the invention. They are not mutually exclusive, do not forman exhaustive set of embodiments, and do not limit the variety andcombination of possible embodiments.

One embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in the drawings, andembodiments have been disclosed in the detailed description. Otherembodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the invention.

Thus, a Method and Apparatus for Planing Boat Ballast System have beendisclosed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A ballast system for a planing boat, the systemcomprising: a hull having a bow and a stern in said boat; a transversestep having a riser forward of said stern in said hull; a ballastcontainer forward of said transverse step; a ballast opening on or atsaid riser and connected to said ballast container; and a ballast ventfor said ballast container.
 2. A method comprising the steps: mounting atransverse step having a riser on a hull of a boat; mounting a ballastcontainer forward of said transverse step; mounting a ballast opening onor at said riser; connecting said ballast opening to said ballastcontainer; mounting a ballast vent in said boat; and connecting saidballast vent to said ballast container.